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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577933">A Dose of Civilization</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish'>slightlytookish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Band of Brothers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Episode: s01e05 Crossroads, Loneliness, Love Confessions, M/M, Paris (City), Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:54:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24577933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>That was just how Nix was, all grand gestures and big plans. He was forever inventing scenarios that played out in some dream of a future without war that Dick couldn't picture no matter how hard he tried. But he still listened in the lurching belly of a crowded troopship as Nix rambled about taking Dick to California, and when he promised a jaunt to Chicago as they paced the far end of an airfield.</p>
<p>They were fun stories to pass the time, and maybe that was all that Nix intended them to be. But they were easier to believe in before Dick spent a day wandering the streets of Paris, alone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Heavy Artillery Rolling Remix 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Dose of Civilization</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24424228">Take A Chance On Me</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwen88/pseuds/Arwen88">Arwen88</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dick tossed the weekend pass onto his desk and glared at it like it was something that would bite him, or order him to write another report. </p>
<p>"Someone's in a mood," Harry said cheerfully, though he was quick to hide his face in his coffee mug when Dick shifted to glare at him.</p>
<p>"Someone's been in a mood since Holland," Nix replied and, well, Dick couldn't argue with the truth. </p>
<p>Nix was still leaning on Dick's desk, hands braced between the stacks of requisition forms and half-finished reports that Dick had grown to despise and should be grateful to leave behind, if only for a weekend. Most likely Nix thought the same because when Dick looked up at him, he narrowed his eyes, like Dick was some kind of puzzle he was trying to figure out.</p>
<p>"Harry, have you ever seen someone look so miserable at the prospect of visiting Paris?" </p>
<p>Harry gave a noncommittal hum, clearly not eager to be on the receiving end of another one of Dick's sharp looks, but Nix just shook his head and grinned. "Come on, Dick, try to crack a smile. You're going to Paris for the first time in your life. Every guy in this battalion would want to take this pass off your hands."</p>
<p><i>Except for the two of you</i>, he thought but didn't say. If it was so great then why were they making him go alone?</p>
<p>He couldn't bring himself to ask, but that was the part that really stung. Dick knew he hadn't been the best of company lately as he struggled to adjust to his transfer to battalion staff and having to leave Easy behind, but the thought of going to Paris by himself seemed - lonely. <i>He</i> was lonely, and once he noticed it he realized he'd been that way for a while - probably since his mood went sour back in Holland, as Nix said. He was lonely right now, sitting between his two closest friends with the knowledge that they cared enough to wrangle a weekend pass for him, but didn't want to join him. </p>
<p>They were looking at each other over his head right now, having a silent conversation like Dick's parents sometimes did, and suddenly he felt like an overgrown child. After having no privacy to speak of for the past three years, it didn't seem possible that he couldn't face the thought of a weekend alone without feeling sorry for himself. A weekend in Paris, no less. No wonder they thought he was being ridiculous. </p>
<p>"For Pete's sake," Dick muttered, more frustrated with himself than anything else. He reached for the pass again and shoved it into his pocket. "Fine, I'll go."</p>
<p>"Thank Christ," Harry said.</p>
<p>Nix watched him for a moment in the way he so often did before finally nodding, apparently satisfied in whatever he saw in Dick's expression. "Got you a lift with some officers from Dog at 0700 tomorrow. They're gonna drop you off at your hotel."</p>
<p>"Hotel?" This was getting worse and worse. Dick tried to tamp down his irritation before he spoke again. "You never said anything about a hotel."</p>
<p>Nix had the gall to laugh. "What were you planning to do, dig a foxhole on the banks of the Seine?"</p>
<p>"I was planning to stay at the Red Cross." </p>
<p>"Like hell you are. Anyway, it's all been arranged." Nix finally straightened up and returned to his chair, reclaiming the coffee cup he'd abandoned on a file cabinet along the way. He took a sip, looking immensely pleased with himself. "And paid for, so there's no getting out of it now."</p>
<p>Thinking about the unnecessary expense made Dick's eyelid twitch. "There's no need-"</p>
<p>Nix brushed it off in the infuriating way he always did whenever the subject of money came up. "Didn't you hear what I said before? You need a dose of civilization."</p>
<p>"<i>Nix-</i>"</p>
<p>"Oh, jeez," Harry sighed, and lit another cigarette.</p><hr/>
<p>The hotel, Dick had to admit, was nice. It was certainly nicer than any place he'd stayed at before - his room had its own bathroom and a comfortable-looking bed, and there was even a bottle of wine awaiting him on the desk. Maybe all French hotel rooms came with a bottle of wine, but Dick strongly suspected that this had Nix's fingerprints all over it. He could just imagine him asking the front desk to send up a bottle in a fit of amusement, for all that he knew Dick wouldn't touch it. </p>
<p>That was just how Nix was, all grand gestures and big plans. He was forever inventing scenarios that played out in some dream of a future without war that Dick couldn't picture no matter how hard he tried. But he still listened in the lurching belly of a crowded troopship as Nix rambled about taking Dick to California, and when he promised a jaunt to Chicago as they paced the far end of an airfield.</p>
<p>They were fun stories to pass the time, and maybe that was all that Nix intended them to be. But they were easier to believe in before Dick spent a day wandering the streets of Paris, alone.</p>
<p>He'd go back to Mourmelon early, Dick decided as he ran himself a bath. He went to Paris like he'd promised, saw Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower up close and bought a couple of postcards to send to his parents and sister. He'd taken his prescribed dose of civilization and now he could get back to his own life and the duties he had there.</p>
<p>But Mourmelon would be as good as deserted tomorrow. Harry would still be in Reims hoping for a glimpse of Marlene Dietrich, and Nix would still be in Aldbourne with his young lady. Dick wondered uncharitably if Nix even remembered her name and then immediately felt guilty, even if the thought loosened the tight feeling in his chest for reasons he chose not to examine too closely. There was no point to it, not when he already knew the answer. His skin prickled in irritation that no amount of soaking in a tub would help.</p>
<p>Disgusted with himself, he got out of the bath and toweled off. He was sick to death of his own thoughts, and even more tired of being alone with them. He should just call it a day and go to bed but he knew he was too annoyed and wound up to fall asleep anytime soon. It would only be an exercise in frustration, and Dick was doing a good job of frustrating himself without any extra encouragement.  </p>
<p>He put his uniform back on without any idea of where to go but knowing he needed to get out of this silent room that was doing nothing to distract him from his own thoughts. After a day of aimlessly wandering the streets he wasn't in a hurry to go for another walk, but even though it wasn't too late in the evening it was late enough that few places would still be open. His eyes caught on the bottle of wine again, and for the first time in his life Dick found himself willingly walking into a bar.</p>
<p>The hotel's bar was just off the lobby and done up in the same dark woods and pale walls as the rest of the building. A few of the tables were occupied by couples and small groups, but they weren't rowdy and the counter itself was entirely empty. <i>If Nix and Harry could see me now</i>, Dick thought as he slid onto a stool. They probably wouldn't believe it at first, and then they'd laugh at him for ordering a club soda in his halting French.</p>
<p>The hotel was on a busy road that seemed to be consistently crowded with GIs on leave. Dick could hear them now, laughing and shouting in the street as jeeps sped past, their occupants likely heading out to nightclubs or other bars. The noise grew louder every time the hotel's front door swung open but after it happened a couple of times Dick didn't even notice it. In a strange way the background noise was more soothing than the silence of his hotel room and did a better job of clearing his mind. He let his thoughts drift.</p>
<p>It hardly registered when the noise level picked up again, followed a few moments later by a thump on the floor near his feet and someone dropping onto the stool beside him. "Come here often?"</p>
<p>Dick almost spilled the club soda down his shirt. "Lew?" His voice sounded half-strangled in disbelief but sure enough, that was Nix sitting beside him, his pack slumped at his feet and an utterly amused expression on his face. </p>
<p>"I leave you for a day and you go to a bar? What the hell, Dick?"</p>
<p>For a moment Dick could only stare at him. The mirror behind the bar stretched past the neat rows of bottles and continued along the wall to the side of them, and over Nix's shoulder he caught a glimpse of his own bewildered expression reflected back at him. His mother would've asked him if he was trying to catch flies, and Dick had to make a conscious effort to close his mouth.</p>
<p>If anything, that seemed to delight Nix even more. He plucked Dick's glass out of his slackened fingers and took a sniff. "At least some things haven't changed," he said, setting it aside before ordering something in rapid French. Dick figured it was whiskey but he couldn't be sure.</p>
<p>He waited for the bartender to bring Nix his drink and retreat to the opposite end of the counter before he spoke. "What are you doing here?"
</p>
<p>"Change in plans. Figured staying on the Continent would be more to my liking." Nix was watching Dick as if he were searching for some specific reaction and, not finding it, he glanced away and knocked back half the glass with a grimace that Dick suspected had nothing to do with the taste. </p>
<p>Yesterday Nix seemed perfectly enthused about going to Aldbourne. Whatever it was that had changed his mind couldn't have happened that long ago but Dick couldn't imagine what it was. Nix, who normally needed no encouragement to carry a conversation, made no move to elaborate.</p>
<p>"Sounds like it was a last-minute decision," Dick said as the silence stretched on between them.</p>
<p>Nix snorted. "You could say that. Then it took me the rest of the day to find a way here. Finally got a lift from a couple of PFCs who looked like they were still in high school. Guess everyone really did go to Reims to see Marlene this weekend. We should've gone with Harry."</p>
<p>"You could've gone to Reims," Dick said. "When your plans changed."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well." Nix shrugged and wouldn't meet Dick's eyes. "Didn't see much of a point." He looked like he wanted to say more but in the end he shook his head minutely and drained the rest of his glass before signaling to the bartender to bring him another. </p>
<p>Dick felt wrong-footed in a way he'd never felt around Nix in all the time they'd known each other. He could feel an odd tension growing between them and, looking back, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. It made his heart twist to see Nix looking so troubled and apparently unwilling to tell him why, but then he reminded himself that Nix had come all this way to see him. There had to be a reason for that.</p>
<p>"Lew, what really happened? You okay?"</p>
<p>"Just an idiot," Nix mumbled. He sat drinking in silence for so long that Dick thought that was the end of the conversation, and started wondering if he should go to bed and leave Nix to his drinking. But when Nix reached the bottom of his glass he took a breath like he was trying to calm himself and finally turned to Dick.</p>
<p>"Made it as far as London before I asked myself what I was doing there when I wanted to be in Paris." His fingers flexed around the empty glass but he continued to meet Dick's gaze steadily. "When the only person I wanted to see was in Paris and I couldn't figure out why the hell I wasn't there with him."</p>
<p>Dick took a sharp breath. He was sure that he'd misunderstood, that he was hearing what he wanted to hear and not what Nix was truly saying. But the intensity of Nix's gaze stopped him short; he was looking at Dick like he'd just cut out his own heart for him to see, and Dick knew that he hadn't misunderstood at all. </p>
<p>His heart was soaring so high he wasn't sure if it'd ever come back down to earth. There wasn't much he could say or do in the middle of a bar, with the bartender wiping down the opposite end of the counter and in full view of everyone sitting at the tables around them, but he could smile and he could rest his arm on the counter beside Nix's, close enough to touch. </p>
<p>"Before you got here I was thinking I'd head back to Mourmelon in the morning," he said. "Found the company in Paris a bit lacking until just a little while ago."</p>
<p>"That so?" Nix sounded nonchalant as if Dick wouldn't notice the way his eyes lit up, or his tentative smile. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you missed me." </p>
<p>He was shamelessly fishing for compliments now, but he was also staring at Dick's mouth like he was planning on kissing him as soon as they got behind a locked door, and Dick didn't have it in him to keep his feelings to himself, not anymore. </p>
<p>"Something like that," Dick said and then lower, so only Nix could hear. "I missed you before I even left."</p>
<p>Nix's answering smile was bright enough to light the whole room though it soon dimmed, just a bit. "Sorry I wasted a whole day."</p>
<p>Dick bumped Nix's shoulder and didn't move away. "We still have tomorrow." And every day after that.</p>
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